Life expectancy drops 6 years in Delhi due to pollution

The rising level of pollution in National Capital Delhi’s is to reduce the life span of the resident by 6.3 years, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has revealed.

Across the cities of the country exposure to PM2.5 (fine particulate matter of the size of 2.5 microns) is cause to loss of 3.3 years from an average Indian’s life, and nearly 6.3 years from a Delhi resident’s life.

According to the World Health Organisation, the PM 2.5 levels of Delhi were reported to be 153 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), which is three times the pollution level in Beijing, China, and 10 times the average pollution levels in New York.

The study, published in the online journal Geophysical Research Letters, was conducted by IITM in collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, in the U.S. and the Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory.